Microsoft still pondering Zune Phone?

Zune phone? I thought Microsoft was going to stay away from that? Oh Bill, you think you're so sneaky, but we're on to you. A new patent has appeared under Microsoft's name that makes us believe they've been planing a Zune Phone for some time now.

The patent describes 'Tile Space User Interface for Mobile devices' and goes on to talk about how difficult it is to access so much information on the small screens of today's mobile devices. Their dynamic tiles could improve the interface of “mobile devices such as smartphones and personal digital assistants.”

Maybe it's the black-and-white pictures, but does that interface look ugly to anyone else? It looks clunky, boring, and unorganized. 15 large icons on your screen is just a bit much, in my opinion. I hope that if they decide do something with this, they add a little flavor to it, too.

So does this confirm that a Zune Phone is in the works? No, but it tells us that Microsoft still has their eye on the mobile phone market. Yes, it could just be something for the Windows Mobile line, but if they do make a Zune Phone, they'll have to have something to set it apart from all of the other devices running WM6.
New patent shows possible Zune Phone tiled interface [via mad4mobilephones]